Like A Fish Out Of Water
by SailorOfShips
Summary: Beca tries to comfort Chloe after she becomes frightened by a creepypasta story.


**Fish Out Of Water**

**_PROMPT FOR THE ACA-AWESOME BECHLOEISMYLIFE:_**

Beca and Chloe were seated on the couch in their shared apartment, laptops resting on their thighs, legs tangled comfortably as they leaned against opposite arms of the chair. Beca had been deeply entranced with her latest mix, trying to find that final element to really make it "pop". Her hands cupped the ears of her headphones firmly, as if that would make it easier to hear what was missing. Chloe was equally busy on her own laptop, lost in her own world as she read a scary story online.

With a deep breath, Beca slid the headphones down to her neck and closed the lid of her laptop. She would come back to that later... Right now, she needed a break. Her favorite kind of break.

This was typically where Chloe would close the lid of her own laptop and crawl (yes, literally crawl) across the couch to make out with her girlfriend. But, that didn't happen today.

Beca set her laptop and headphones on the end table and waited, but it didn't happen. She took in the redhead's expression as her eyes darted across the laptop screen.

Her crystal eyes sparkled with intrigue beneath two furrowed copper brows, one lip worrying between her teeth. The brunette smirked as she watched the other woman.

Beca quickly recognized this as Chloe's reading face.

The brunette decided she would crawl across the couch herself.

"Hey, Chlo," She teased as she straddled the redhead, careful not to crush the laptop between them.

"Hmmm?" Chloe answered, her eyes still glued to the screen.

"Whatcha reading, there?"

That was when Chloe's eyes left the screen, snapping up to meet Beca's. Her steely blue eyes twinkled with amusement. She always got a kick out of watching Chloe read. She enjoyed witnessing the little things like the occasional gasp, Chloe's over-animated eyebrows, or those little squeals of excitement anytime something particularly good or interesting happened in the story.

Her absolute favorite Chloe expressions were the chuckle (sometimes accompanied by her patting a thigh in amusement as she read something witty) and the anxious lip bite.

"What makes you think I'm reading something?" The redhead answered a little too quickly.

Beca chuckled at the redhead's defensiveness and craned her head to get a look at the screen, already having an idea what the older woman was reading. But, Chloe was too fast. She lifted the laptop and shielded it from the brunette. As Beca bobbed, Chloe weaved. The redhead was determined to keep the brunette from seeing her screen.

Although, Beca eventually ducked around the hand in her face. And that was when she saw it...

Chloe smiled sheepishly.

She knew it was coming. She and Beca talked about this. She promised she would never read another creepypasta...but that was before her friend Stacie told her about "BEN". She had to read it for herself. She had always been a sucker for a good horror story.

"Really, Chlo?" Beca groaned. "Tell me you're not reading creepypasta again. Remember what happened last time you read one of those?"

"...no?" She lied.

Beca's eyes widened in disbelief. "How could you NOT?"

Chloe was silent. She avoided the younger woman's gaze, knowing exactly what she was referring to.

"You had nightmares for a week," Beca continued, shaking her head in amusement. She knew neither of them would be getting sleep tonight. "You made me check ALL the doors and ALL the windows every time you woke up, which was ALOT...not to mention how many times you made me check underneath the bed and in the closet-"

"Okay, I get it... RELAX. That was AT LEAST six months ago. I'm a big girl. I'll be fine." Chloe assured the brunette.

Beca smirked, unconvinced. "Okay..."

The Next Day-

Beca appeared in the doorway of their bedroom wearing her workout clothes. She scanned the living room for her girlfriend and found her curled up in the corner of the couch with a blanket wrapped snugly around her. She held the television remote firmly in one hand as she flipped through the channels.

Beca approached the couch and flopped down on the free end, not allowing herself to get too comfortable. "I'm getting ready to head to the gym for some MZAT. Care to join me?"

"MZAT?" Chloe repeated, her face scrunched in confusion.

"Mandatory Zombie Apocalypse Training?" Beca said, as if it was the most obvious thing.

"Is that what you're calling it these days?" Chloe giggled, knowing Beca must have been referring to some sort of cardio workout. It amazed Chloe how someone in such good shape could hate cardio so much.

"Yep," Beca grinned, popping the 'P'. "So, are you coming? I know you've been dying to try out that new indoor pool."

Beca was right about that. Chloe HAD been excited when she first heard that the gym would be getting an indoor pool.

Of COURSE, she was excited. Chloe was a swimmer. She'd been swimming for as long as she could remember. Swimming in the lake as a kid with her cousins... Racing her friends to the buoy and back to shore in the summer...Becoming the captain of her high school's varsity swim club and even going on to make the all-state team...

Growing up, Beca used to call her Ariel, joking that the redhead spent more time in the water than she did on land.

It was only natural that Chloe would be excited to hear about a new pool...

Except she wasn't. Not anymore, at least.

After reading that "BEN-drowned" Creepypasta, Chloe had no desire to be in -or anywhere near- water. Hearing the words "dying" and "pool" used in the same sentence wasn't helping either.

"Actually... I think I'm going to skip the pool... today." Chloe swallowed.

Beca must have sensed the redhead's discomfort, because her face softened. She took in the dark circles under Chloe's eyes."Are you feeling alright?"

Chloe was silent.

"What's wrong?" The brunette scooted closer, concern etched into her features. This wasn't like Chloe. Her hand shot to the redhead's forehead, checking to see if she felt warm.

Honestly, Chloe was just tired and frightened. After reading that story, she hadn't been able to get any sleep last night. She would drift off and see that darn statue from the story. Everytime she closed her eyes, she would see it. She wouldn't admit that to Beca though...not after she made such a big deal about Chloe being so easily frightened.

"Nothing's wrong," Chloe smiled sweetly.

Beca narrowed her eyes as she eyed the redhead suspiciously. She wasn't buying it. "My bullshit senses are tingling..."

Chloe should have known better. She and Beca could read each other like books...

She took a breath and braced for the inevitable. Beca was going to have a field day.

"You were right...I shouldn't have read that story."

Chloe pulled the blanket up over her head as if it would shield her from her girlfriend's teasing.

Something surprising happened though...

Beca didn't say anything. She just watched the redhead...(slightly amused, but mostly concerned)

Chloe emerged from beneath the blanket, cautious and and confused. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Like what?" Beca asked, amused.

"Uhh, I don't know. Maybe that you told me so? ...or something dickish and witty?"

Beca's jaw dropped in mock-offense, "Oh, that's nice. And, believe me. Typically, I would...but this is different."

"How is this different?" Chloe questioned.

"Because YOU, my fucking fish of a girlfriend, doesn't want to swim, right now...," Beca pointed out. "That's a pretty big deal, you know?" Beca threw an arm over the back of the couch and patted her lap, inviting the redhead to make herself comfortable.

"It is...," Chloe agreed, swooning slightly over the brunette's rough attempt at being warm and comforting. She moved closer to Beca and laid her head in Beca's lap, allowing the DJ's fingers to run through her hair and massage her scalp.

"What did you even read?" Beca asked, the faintest smirk on her face as she stared down at the redhead. Chloe could tell Beca wanted to tease her about it, but she was really glad that she didn't.

Chloe proceeded to tell Beca the story of Ben and the haunted Legend of Zelda cartridge.

"Man," Beca started. "That is pretty creepy... I have an idea though."

Chloe sat up to face the younger woman. "What's that?"

"Get your swimsuit."

* * *

><p><em><strong>SIX FLAGS WHITE WATER PARK- 3 years ago<strong>_

_**It was their second anniversary and Chloe knew exactly how they were going to spend it. Beca let it slip a few weeks earlier that she had never learned how to swim, but always wanted to. She regretted it the moment she'd said it. The way Chloe's eyes lit up at this bit of information meant she wasn't going to let it sit.**_

_**And that's how they ended up at Six Flags.**_

_**"Chloe...I don't know about this," Beca protested as Chloe took her hand and led her towards the pool. "I'm not all that coordinated."**_

_**"I know."Chloe giggled.**_

_**"..."**_

_**"You'll be fine though...I'll be right here beside you." Chloe winked at the brunette. She wasn't letting her off that easy.**_

_**Chloe eased down the steps into the shallow end of the pool, ignoring all the curious stares from the couples and families swimming around them.**_

_**"You've got your work cut out for you," Beca continued, her eyes scanning nervously over the other swimmers. "I've never even been in a pool before,"**_

_**"That's totally fine...Just keep looking at me," Chloe smiled, reassuringly. At this point, she had both of Beca's hands. Their eyes locked as the redhead continued to ease them down the steps. Chloe never turned her back to the younger woman, moving backwards as she held Beca's gaze.**_

_**Before Beca knew it, Chloe was smiling at her and releasing her hands. When her hands fell to her side, however, they hit water.**_

_**Beca's eyes widened in shock as she looked down, realizing she was waist high in the shallow end of a pool.**_

_**"Congratulations, baby." Chloe beamed, wrapping her arms around the shorter woman's neck and pulling her in for a kiss. The kiss was agonizingly slow and tender. It only made Beca want more, but before she could pull the woman closer, she was splashed with water and Chloe was swimming away.**_

_**"Awwh, come on... Chlo!" Beca whined, waddling awkwardly after the swimmer as she tried to keep her balance in the water. "You can't kiss me like that and just swim away..."**_

* * *

><p>Barden YMCA- Present Day<p>

"You have absolutely nothing to worry about, okay?" Beca raised their joined hands to her lips before planting a kiss on the back of Chloe's hand. "If anything, I'm more likely to drown than you. You're like a damn fish."

Chloe's eyes widened in horror.

"KIDDING. Sorry... Shouldn't have said that," Beca continued on towards the pool, tugging Chloe along with a smirk. "Nobody's drowning."

"I hope you're right," Chloe grumbled.

Once the couple had changed into their bathing suits, Beca wrapped an arm around the taller woman's waist as she led her to the pool.

"Remember how you got me into that pool at Six Flags?" Beca asked as she stopped at the edge of the pool. Luckily, no one else had been in there. This would be much easier with just the two of them.

Chloe nodded silently, her worried eyes reflecting the glittery surface of the pool water.

Beca eased down to sit on the edge of the pool, her feet dangling as she looked up at the redhead.

Chloe only stared at the water.

Beca reached up and took her hand, tugging gently. "Come on. Sit with me."

Chloe reluctantly eased herself down beside the brunette. She met Beca's gaze. Her steely blue eyes twinkled as she smiled.

"See?" Beca teased, beginning to tickle Chloe's foot with hers beneath the water. "Our feet haven't exploded or gotten eaten off, or ANYTHING. Have they?"

"They haven't," Chloe smiled slightly, some of the tension leaving her body as she began to feel comfortable.

"And they won't..."

"They won't?" Chloe's eyes shot to the pool again. It LOOKED safe enough. It was quite. It was serene. And it was SO blue.

She remembered those to be the main things she used to love most about the water when she was younger.

"They won't." Beca nodded. She watched the swimmer, reading her face as she looked over the water. Beca scooted closer, leaning down to plant a kiss on the redhead's shoulder.

"Okay," Chloe nodded. She looked as if she was talking herself into it, taking a breath before she spoke. "Can you, uh...check the pool for statues?"

"Statues?" Beca repeated, one eyebrow raised in confusion. "Sure."

And with that she released her hold on the redhead's hand and slipped into the pool. She made a big deal of checking the corners, crevices, and filters as she moved along the walls and floor of the pool, knowing Chloe was watching.

She resurfaced with a gasp, raising an arm to give Chloe a thumbs up. Chloe giggled at the dorky grin on the brunette's face. "All clear here, ma'lady."

"You're the best," Chloe smiled as she slid down into the water. She waded through the shallow water, moving towards the brunette. "And you're a softie."

"Only for you," Beca smirked, meeting Chloe half way. Chloe's arms circled around Beca's neck as the shorter woman hugged her waist and pulled her in for a kiss.


End file.
